Mercy Medical Center's Dr. Blaine Kristo said when kidney stones are paired with another type of infection, it can cause urosepsis, which can lead to death in some cases.

Marylander Valerie Lopreato discovered she had kidney stones in November.

"I can't even describe it, it was horrible. I couldn't even tell you where the pain was coming from," she said.

Kristo said the stone was blocking her ureter and that she had urosepsis.

"Valerie unfortunately had a urinary tract infection as well as an obstructing stone that was trying to pass, and that's a bad combination because if you've got bacteria in the urinary tract and it's under pressure, the only place for it to go is the bloodstream, and you can get systemically sick. It can be fatal," he said.

Kristo said he broke up the stone with a laser and removed the particles. Lopreato was in the hospital for three days and on IV antibiotics for 10.

Kristo said anyone who has had a kidney stone is at a 50 percent greater risk of forming another, but he said there are ways to prevent that from happening. He said beverages like tea, soda and energy drinks can cause kidney stones, so water is a better choice.

"Drink fluids, that's the No. 1 rule, and it sounds so simple. People who are kidney-stone formers, we recommend they drink at least two liters of water a day," he said.

In the past, kidney stones affected men at a much higher rate than women, but that's no longer the case.

Doctors also recommended seeking medical attention if you start experiencing severe pain for an extended period of time.